Ear fixed type conversation device

ABSTRACT

An earset communication device capable of reliably suppressing transmission of microvibration to a microphone part. The earset communication device of the present invention is an earset communication device  1  attached to a human ear, which has a main body  2 , a sound guide part  3  where a sound guide housing  3   a  protruding from the main body  2  is attached to the cavum conchae  61 , and a microphone part  4  where a microphone housing  4   a  protruding from the main body  2  in continuously to the sound guide housing  3   a  in a fork shape is inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith. The main body  2  has a speaker  11 . The sound guide part  3  has a sound guide tube  12  for guiding the sound output from the speaker  11  to the cavum conchae  61  in the sound guide housing  3   a . The microphone part  4  has a bone conduction microphone  30  in the microphone housing  4   a.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an earset communication device.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional mobile voice communication devices using radiocommunication technology have been developed under the main theme of“providing communication opportunities anytime and anywhere necessary”.Therefore, as shown in usage patterns of mobile phones and personalhandy phone systems (PHS), mobile phones and PHS have a portable sizeallowing a user to put in a bag or pocket to carry. Further, as devicesbecome smaller and portability increases, they come into wide use fromcertain users to general users.

Recently, fixed telephones at homes and offices have cordless terminals.Though users had to talk on the phone within a cable length range, theyare now free from distance and able to talk in places far from thetelephone. It also becomes possible to talk on the phone while movingfreely in homes and offices. Thus, freedom in communication increases inhome and office phones just like in mobile phones, improvinguser-friendliness.

Though conventional techniques have thus achieved improvement ofdistance freedom in mobile phones and PHS, no improvement has been madein calling style of holding a transmitter/receiver handset by hand totalk, which has been an issue from the start of development of phones.Therefore, there is a problem that actions during talking on the phone,such as taking notes and checking documents, are restricted. Not a fewusers would experience that they have difficulty doing such thingssmoothly during talking on the phone since only one hand is available.

The invention to solve the problem of unable to use both hands duringtalking on the phone, which is an object of handsfree, is proposed inJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-304025, for example. Itinvents a device for talking on the phone without the need for user'shand by attaching a transmitter/receiver unit composed of a microphoneand an earphone to the ear pinna. However, the transmitter/receiver unitof the communication device disclosed therein is connected to a mainunit with a cable. It has thus a problem of taking time from receiving acall to answering the call, which is an object of easy attachment, sincethe following operation is required to start talking on the phone:

1. Take out a handsfree set and connect a connector

2. Attach the transmitter/receiver unit to a given position of the earpinna

3. Talk

The invention to achieve the object of easy attachment is disclosed inJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-111680, for example. Itdiscloses a technique to wirelessly connect a communication device and amobile phone main body. This system eliminates the need for connecting acable upon use and thus significantly improves usability compared to aconventional cable type.

However, since this technique requires to set a microphone part stablyat the mouth of a user, a setting structure should be large. Further, itis technically difficult to achieve a support mechanism for stablesetting.

Therefore, in order to set the microphone part stably at the user'smouth, the user needs to use both hands and takes time to attach it.Thus, a time delay occurs in the process of receiving a call signal,attaching a mechanism to set the microphone part to the user's mouth tothe head, turning on a talk switch and starting talking. Smooth and easyattachment thereby remains unachieved.

Further, though the causal relationship and scale have not become clear,the effects of electromagnetic wave by radio communication equipmentsuch as mobile phones are controversial domestically andinternationally. Concerns exist about the effects of electromagneticwave emitted from an antenna on body, particularly head, incommunication equipment such as mobile phones using high frequencysignals.

Recently, small communication devices in which a receiver/transceiverunit can be attached to the cavum conchae easily without the need forthe user's hand are known. For example, in a communication devicedescribed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-70087, anearphone and a microphone of a receiver/transceiver unit are mountedclose to each other in the vicinity of an external package surface.Thus, microvibration in the earphone by a speaker is transmitted to themicrophone, causing the microphone to be subject to the effect of themicrovibration.

In order to reduce the effect of the microvibration on the microphone,the earphone and the microphone are mounted in a fork structure, forexample. However, it is unable to suppress the microvibrationtransmitted to the microphone sufficiently, causing the problem thatecho or the like occurs at the microphone to deteriorate callingquality.

As described in the foregoing, the conventional earset communicationdevice has the problem that it is unable to suppress the microvibrationtransmitted from the earphone to the microphone sufficiently since themicrophone and the earphone are mounted close to each other.

Further, the conventional earset communication device as the problemthat it does not have a structure to reduce the effect ofelectromagnetic wave.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above problems,and a first object of the invention is thus to provide an earsetcommunication device capable of reliably suppressing microvibrationtransmitted to a microphone. A second object of the invention is toprovide an earset communication device capable of reducing the effect ofelectromagnetic wave.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an earsetcommunication device attached to a human ear, which includes a main bodyhaving a sound output unit (for example, a speaker 11 in the embodiment)outputting sound inside, a sound guide part protruding from the mainbody, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear, and guiding the soundoutput from the sound output unit to the cavum conchae, and a microphonepart protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae incontact therewith, and having a bone conduction sound detection unit(for example, a bone conduction microphone 30 in the embodiment)detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavum conchae. Inthis structure, it is possible to securely prevent microvibrationgenerated by the sound from the sound output unit from being transmittedto the microphone part.

The microphone part may protrude from the main body in continuously tothe sound guide part in a fork shape.

The sound guide part preferably has a sound guide tube guiding the soundoutput from the sound output unit to the cavum conchae. It is therebypossible to effectively guide the sound output from the sound outputunit to the cavum conchae.

Further, the sound guide part preferably has a switch unit (for example,a switch lever 13 in the embodiment) switching a direction of a guidingpath through which the sound guide tube guides the sound. It is therebypossible to easily switch the direction of the sound guiding path inaccordance with which ear the device is attached to.

Furthermore, the sound guide part preferably has a fixing unit (forexample, a fixing part 22 in the embodiment) fixing the direction of theguiding path. It is thereby possible to securely fix the sound guidingpath and reliably prevent a change in the direction of the guiding path.

Further, the microphone part is preferably rotatably connected to themain part. It is thereby possible to more securely preventmicrovibration from being transmitted to the microphone part.

The sound output unit is preferably fixed to a substrate (for example, acircuit substrate 6) where an electronic component (for example, a radiomodule 7, a battery 8, an antenna 9 and so on) is mounted. It is therebypossible to reduce microvibration generated by the sound output unit.

Particularly, if a battery is mounted to the substrate, it is possibleto effectively reduce microvibration generated by the sound output unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the main body has a communication circuit andan antenna for radio communication with a separated base unit.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided anearset communication device attached to a human ear, which includes amain body, an earphone part protruding from the main body, attached to acavum conchae of the ear, and outputting sound to the cavum conchae, anda microphone part protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavumconchae in contact therewith, and having a bone conduction sounddetection unit detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavumconchae, wherein the microphone part is rotatably connected to the mainbody. It is thereby possible to more securely prevent microvibrationfrom being transmitted to the microphone part.

The microphone part may protrude from the main body in continuously tothe earphone part in a fork shape.

It is further preferable to have a stopper restricting rotation of themicrophone part.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided anearset communication device attached to a human ear, which includes amain body having an electronic circuit substrate (for example, a circuitsubstrate 6 of the embodiment) for radio communication, an earphone partprotruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear,and outputting sound to the cavum conchae, and a microphone partprotruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae incontact therewith, and detecting bone conduction sound transmitted tothe cavum conchae. Since this structure places the electronic circuitsubstrate which can generate electromagnetic wave in a position apartfrom a user's head, it is possible to reduce the effect of theelectromagnetic wave.

It is preferred that the main body further has a battery supplying powerto the electronic circuit substrate, and the battery is placed betweenthe electronic circuit substrate and the user's head in a state wherethe communication device is attached to the user. The battery shieldsthe electromagnetic wave generated in the electronic circuit substratein this structure, and it is thereby possible to reduce the effect ofthe electromagnetic wave.

It is preferred that the main body further has a speaker, and thespeaker is fixed to the electronic circuit substrate through attenuatingmaterial. The attenuating material absorbs microvibration generated inthe speaker in this structure, and it is thereby possible to prevent themicrovibration from being transmitted to another component, particularlyto the microphone.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided anearset communication device attached to a human ear, which includes amain body having an antenna for radio communication, an earphone partprotruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear,and outputting sound to the cavum conchae, and a microphone partprotruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae incontact therewith, and detecting bone conduction sound transmitted tothe cavum conchae. Since this structure places the antenna which cangenerate electromagnetic wave in a position apart from a user's head, itis possible to reduce the effect of the electromagnetic wave.

In a preferred embodiment, the main body has a housing, and the antennais placed in the housing located apart from a user's head in a statewhere the communication device is attached to the user.

It is preferred that the main body further has a battery, and thebattery is placed between the antenna and a user's head in a state wherethe communication device is attached to the user. The battery shieldsthe electromagnetic wave generated in the electronic circuit substratein this structure, and it is thereby possible to reduce the effect ofthe electromagnetic wave.

The battery is preferably housed in a lower part of the main body in astate where the communication device is attached to a user. Thisstructure lowers the center of gravity, and it is thereby possible toattach the communication device stably to the user. The user can therebyfeel good fit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing communication using an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing an earset communicationdevice of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a front view showing an earset communication device of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3B is a sectional view showing an earset communication device ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4C are views showing a microphone part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a mounting structure of a microphone part of anearset communication device of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views showing a microphone part of anearset communication device of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit structure of a microphonepart of an earset communication device of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a sound guide part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIG. 9A is a side view showing a sound guide part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIG. 9B is a front view showing a sound guide part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a sound guide part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are sectional views showing a sound guide part of anearset communication device of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing an attachment part of an earsetcommunication device of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing an earset communication device ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the name of each part of the ear.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter withreference to the drawings.

The embodiment of the present invention is described by referring toFIG. 14 showing each part of the human ear in addition to the figuresshowing the structure of a communication device or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, an earset communication device 1 is used incombination with a mobile phone 40 as a main phone of the communicationdevice 1. Instead of the mobile phone 40, the main phone of thecommunication device 1 may be various communication devices such as afixed telephone and a telephone device using PC or PDA as platform. Thefunctions relating to the communication between the main phone and thecommunication device 1 are substantially equal in the configurationusing any of these devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 1 has a circuit substrate6, an antenna 9, and a microphone 30. The circuit substrate 6 has asignal circuit 23, a battery 8, a volume switch 10 a, a power switch 10b, a communication switch 10, a speaker 11, and an LED 16. The signalcircuit 23 has a transceiver/receiver circuit 23 a and a power supplycircuit 23 b.

Each component of the communication device 1 operates by power supplyfrom the battery 8.

The mobile phone 40 has a basic configuration 41, a second communicationunit 42, and a second antenna 43. The basic configuration 41 has acommunication circuit 44, a first antenna 45, a battery 46, a microphone47, a speaker 48, a numeric keypad 49, and switches 50. The basicconfiguration 41 enables normal mobile phone functions. Thecommunication circuit 44 of the basic configuration 41 includes acontrol circuit for controlling the mobile phone functions and atransceiver/receiver circuit for communicating with a base station. Thesecond communication unit 42 is a unit to communicate with thecommunication device 1. The second antenna 43 is an antenna tocommunicate with the communication device 1.

The structure of the earset communication device 1 according to theembodiment of the invention is described below. In this example, inorder to achieve the objects of handsfree and easy attachment addressedin the background art section, the communication device 1 of thisembodiment is formed by using components as small and lightweight aspossible to reduce size and weight. The communication device 1 uses abone conduction microphone for the microphone 30 in consideration withusage variation and so on.

First, the appearance of the communication device 1 is described withreference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A is a view from the side apart froma user when the device is attached to the user. FIG. 2B is a view fromthe side of the user when the device is attached to the user.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the communication device 1 has a main body2, a sound guide part 3, a microphone part 4, and a holding part 5. Themain body 2 has two housings 2 a and 2 b. The sound guide part 3 has ahousing 3 a, and the microphone part 4 has a housing 4 a. The main bodyhousings 2 a and 2 b, the sound guide housing 3 a, and the microphonehousing 4 a may be respectively made of polyamide resin, ABS resin, andelastomer resin and so on. The sound guide housing 3 a may be formed ofhigh specific gravity metal such as brass.

The microphone housing 4 a needs to transmit minute vibration in a undersurface 61 a of cavum conchae 61 to a bone conduction microphone 30 inthe microphone housing 4 a. Therefore, the microphone housing 4 a ismade of hard and moisture-keeping material, and its surface is mirrorfinished so as to closely contact with the skin of the cavum conchae 61.Particularly, ABS resin is suitable as the moisture-keeping materialsince it is highly formable and low price.

The holding part 5 is made of elastic material such as 50 to 80 hardnessrubber or polyvinyl. The holding part 5 is elastically displaceable in adeflected form. In the attachment state, the holding part 5 pinches anedge 65 of the cavum conchae 61 between a small diameter part bottom 4 gand a large diameter part backside 4 e to hold. Since the holding part 5is elastically contacted with the edge 65 of the cavum conchae 61 in thesecure holding state, a user can feel good fit. The holding part 5 mayhave a holding reinforcing part 51. The holding reinforcing part 51allows reduction of the pinching space to enhance the stable attachment.

The specific structure of the communication device 1 is describedhereinafter with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3B is a sectionalview along the line A-A′ of the communication device 1 of FIG. 3A. Asshown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the main body housing of the main body 2 iscomposed of an outer housing 2 a and an inner housing 2 b. The outerhousing 2 a is a case placed in the opposite side from a user's headwhen attached. A detachable battery cover for replacing a battery isplaced at the bottom of the outer housing 2 a. The inner housing 2 b isa case placed in the side of a user's head when attached.

The sound guide part 3 protrudes from and is integrally formed with themain body 2. Specifically, the sound guide part 3 is formed to protrudefrom an upper part of the main body 2 at the user's side when thecommunication device 1 is attached to the user. The sound guide part 3outputs sound, is attached to the cavum conchae of the user's ear andconstitutes an earphone part which outputs sound to the cavum conchae.

The microphone part 4 is formed separately from the main body 2, and itis fitted into a microphone holder 15 placed in the inner housing 2 b ofthe main body 2. The microphone part 4 is placed to protrude from themain body 2 below the sound guide part 3. The microphone part 4 and thesound guide part 3 are placed above and below with a minute interval.Thus, the sound guide part 3 and the microphone part 4 form a forkstructure with respect to the main body 2.

Since the sound guide part 3 and the microphone part 4 do not directlycontact with each other, it is possible to prevent microvibration by thesound passing through the sound guide part 3 from being transmitted tothe microphone part 4. Further, the fork structure allows the soundguide housing 3 a to be retained in place so as to transmit receivedsound to the external ear canal 64, thereby providing stable soundvolume to users.

In the communication device 1, the front end part of the microphonehousing 4 a protruding from the inner housing 2 a and the front end ofthe sound guide housing 3 a are attached to the cavum conchae 61. Thecomprehensive outline of the attachment parts forms a verticallyelongated oval shape so as to match with the inner shape of the cavumconchae 61 when attached.

The inner housing 2 b of the main body 2 has the microphone holder 15where the microphone housing 4 a is fitted in. The microphone holder 15has a concave shape so that the microphone housing 4 a is fittedthereinto. The microphone holder 15 has an axis 15 a which rotatablysupports the microphone housing 4 a.

The holding part 5 is placed in the main body 2 so as to extendobliquely downward in a tongue shape from the boundary between the mainbody 2 and the microphone part 4.

The components of the main body 2 of the communication device 1 aredescribed hereinafter in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the main body 2 has the circuit substrate6, radio module 7, battery 8, antenna 9, communication switch 10, andspeaker 11. These components are internally supported by being housed inthe outer housing 2 a and the inner housing 2 b.

The radio module 7, battery 8, antenna 9, communication switch 10,speaker 11 and so on are mounted and electrically connected to thecircuit substrate 6. Electronic circuits on the circuit substrate 6 aresupplied with power from the battery 8 to perform various operations forcommunication. In this example, the radio module 7 and the speaker 11are placed on the surface of the circuit substrate 6 at the user's sideand the battery 8, the antenna 9, and the communication switch 10 areplaced on the other side surface in the state where the communicationdevice 1 is attached to a user.

The radio module 7 is Bluetooth (trademark of Bluetooth SIG. Inc.), forexample. The radio module 7 is connected to the circuit substrate 6 andoperates with power supply from the battery 8. The radio module 7communicates with the mobile phone 40 as the base phone through theantenna 9 connected to the circuit substrate 6. The radio module 7constitutes the transceiver/receiver circuit 23 a shown in FIG. 1.

The battery 8 is coin-shaped and placed in the lower part of the circuitsubstrate 6. The battery 8 is electrically connected to the circuitsubstrate 6 through battery terminals 14 a and 14 b. The batteryterminal 14 a is bent in a convex shape toward the battery 8 so as topush the battery 8 to the circuit substrate 6 to ensure electricalconnection. The battery 8 is thereby fixed between the battery terminals14 a and 14 b.

The antenna 9 is a chip antenna, for example, and placed in the upperpart of the circuit substrate 6 and in the vicinity of the communicationswitch 10. The antenna 9 is located in such a position that the speaker11 is placed at the head of a user when the user wears the communicationdevice 1.

The communication switch 10 is a multipoint switch having multifunctionas shown in FIG. 3A. For example, the communication switch 10 functionsas a volume switch 10 a and a power switch 10 b when starting and endinga call. The outer housing 2 a has an LED 16 for informing a user of anincoming call to the base mobile phone.

The speaker 11 is connected to a sound output terminal (not shown) ofthe circuit substrate 6 and receives an electric signal from the radiomodule 7. The speaker 11 converts the received electric signal intosound audible to users and outputs it. The sound is output through anopening 11 a made inside the main body 2. The speaker 11 is housed inthe main body housings 2 a and 2 b and placed in the position apart fromthe microphone part 2 protruding from the main body 2. This ensures toprevent the microvibration generated by the speaker 11 from beingtransmitted to the microphone part 4.

The speaker 11 is, for example, a dynamic speaker composed of a yokemade of a permanent magnet and magnetic material forming its magneticpath and a moving part formed of a coil and a diaphragm. If it is thedynamic speaker, the speaker 11 generates vibration in the yoke as acounteraction to sound (action) which is aerial vibration. The vibrationin the yoke vibrates parts and equipment attached to the speaker 11. Thespeaker 11 in the embodiment of this invention is attached to thecircuit substrate 6 which has a heavy weight since various arts of thecommunication device 1 are attached thereto. Therefore, the weight ofthe circuit substrate 6 allows the vibration in the yoke to beattenuated as much as possible. It is thereby possible to suppress thevibration in the yoke.

The speaker 11 is covered with attenuating material, which is not shown,and fixed to the circuit substrate 6 through the attenuating material.It is thereby possible to suppress microvibration generated duringoperation of the speaker 11 and reduce transmission of microvibration tothe microphone part 4 more effectively. The attenuating material isformed of a viscoelastic body such as gel with plastic base, forexample.

Further, since the speaker 11 is housed in the main body 2, it ispossible to freely select the shape of the sound guide housing 3 a to beattached into the cavum conchae 61. This increases the freedom of theshape of the sound guide housing 3 a and the microphone housing 4 a tobe fitted into the cavum conchae 61, thus providing more comfortableattachment.

The structure of the microphone part 4 is described hereinafter withreference to FIGS. 4A to 4C. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the microphonehousing 4 a. FIG. 4B is a sectional view along line A-A′ of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4C is a front view of the microphone housing 4 a.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the microphone housing 4 a protruding from the mainbody 2 is composed of the large diameter part 4 b and the small diameterpart 4 c. The large diameter part 4 b is the end part to touch the cavumconchae 61. The small diameter part 4 c is the part continuous to thelarge diameter part 4 b outward from the ear when attached.

The bone conduction microphone 30 is placed inside the large diameterpart 4 b of the microphone housing 4 a. The structure of the boneconduction microphone 30 is detailed later. The large diameter part 4 band the small diameter part 4 c are continuously integrated by aconnection 4 d.

The backside 4 e of the large diameter part 4 b contacts the undersurface 61 a of the cavum conchae 61 in the attached state. Thus, theconnection 4 d of the large diameter part 4 b and the small diameterpart 4 c is connected smoothly to provide better contact with the undersurface 61 a of the cavum conchae 61.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the bottom surface 4 f of the large diameter part 4b is bent in a convex shape toward the under surface 61 a of the cavumconchae 61 when viewed along the external ear canal 64 in order toaccurately detect minute vibration in contact with the under surface 61a of the cavum conchae 61 in the attached state. The contact areabetween the large diameter part bottom surface 4 f and the under surface61 a of the cavum conchae 61 thereby increases to provide suitablecontact. The bottom 4 g of the small diameter part 4 c may be also bentin a convex shape.

Two small diameter bases 4 h protrude from the small diameter part 4 c.The small diameter bases 4 h are plate-like members placed substantiallyparallel to each other. The microphone housing 4 a is fitted into themicrophone holder 15 protruding from the inner housing 2 b of the mainbody 2. As shown in FIG. 4C, the small diameter bases 4 h which continueto the small diameter part 4 c of the microphone housing 4 a have aneyelet 4 i.

The eyelet 4 i is jointed to the axis 15 a of the microphone holder 15and the microphone housing 4 a and the inner housing 2 b of the mainbody 2 are fitted and jointed to each other. The microphone housing 4 ais thereby flexibly movable for the vibration transmitted from the cavumconchae 61.

Further, the main body housing (inner housing 2 b) may have a stopper 17to prevent the microphone housing 4 a from moving downward significantlyso as to maintain suitable attachment. FIG. 5 shows a part of thestructure of the communication device 1 having the stopper 17. Thestopper 17 is placed to restrict the downward movement of the microphonehousing 4 a. The stopper 17 is integrally formed to protrude from theinner housing 2 b. However, it does not necessarily protrude from theinner housing 2 b. For example, it may be formed to avoid that theeyelet 4 i and the axis 15 a rotate with each other at a certain angleor above.

The microphone part 4 uses a bone conduction system and detects thesound vibration generated in the vocal chords and transmitted throughthe throat and head to reach the under surface 61 a of the cavum conchae61 with the bone conduction microphone 30 in the microphone housing 4 a.In the microphone part 4 using the bone conduction system, themicrophone housing 4 a smoothly moves in synchronization withmicrovibration of the skin in the under surface 61 a of the cavumconchae 61.

The bone conduction microphone 30 is housed inside the large diameterpart 4 b of the microphone housing 4 a protruding from the main body 2.The structure of the bone conduction microphone 30 is describedhereinafter with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. FIG. 6A is a partlyfracture sectional view showing the structure of the bone conductionmicrophone 30. FIG. 6B is a sectional view along the line A-A′ of FIG.6A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a microphone substrate 35 where a field-effecttransistor 34 or the like for signal processing is mounted is storedinside the small diameter part 4 c of the microphone housing 4 a. Themicrophone substrate 35 is connected to a piezoelectric element 32 by asignal line 33 and also connected to the circuit substrate 6 of the mainbody 2 by a signal terminal 35 a.

A shield case 31 entirely covers the main components of the boneconduction microphone 30, the piezoelectric element 32, and themicrophone substrate 35 with the field-effect transistor 34 or the like.It is thereby possible to maintain high signal/noise (S/N) ratio of thetransmitted sound signal. The shield case 31 is made of conductive andmagnetic material.

The shield case 31 is covered with the microphone housing 4 a andprotected from mechanical force from outside. The piezoelectric element32 is supported and fixed in the shield case 31 and the shield case 31is supported and fixed in the microphone housing 4 a with a sufficientlyhigh degree of coupling, thereby preventing attenuation of vibrationpassing through the supporting part.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the piezoelectric element 32 of the bone conductionmicrophone 30 is supported and fixed in the shape of cantilever at oneend in the longitudinal direction of the large diameter part 4 b of themicrophone housing 4 a. The piezoelectric element 32 which can freelyvibrate is stored in the other end of the bone conduction microphone 30.

The piezoelectric element 32 is made of piezoelectric ceramics materialsuch as PZT. As shown in FIG. 6B, electrodes 32 a and 32 b arerespectively formed entirely on the upper and lower surfaces of thepiezoelectric element 32. When the piezoelectric element 32 is distortedby external force, the voltage corresponding to the distortion occursbetween the electrodes 32 a and 32 b. The generated electric signal isapplied from the piezoelectric element 32 to the microphone substrate 35through the signal line 33, and then from the signal terminal 35 a tothe microphone input terminal of the circuit substrate 6. Though notshown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the microphone input terminal corresponds tothe microphone input terminal 24 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows the circuit configuration of the bone conduction microphone30. The electrode 32 a of the piezoelectric element 32 is connected tothe gate of the field-effect transistor 34 through the signal line 33.The electrode 32 b is connected to the source of the field-effecttransistor 34 through the shield case 31 and a ground pattern of themicrophone substrate 35. The signal terminals 35 a and 35 b of themicrophone substrate 35 are connected to the microphone input terminal(the microphone input terminal 24 of FIG. 1, though not shown in FIG. 7)of the communication device 1.

In this configuration, the sound signal detected by the piezoelectricelement 32 of the bone conduction microphone 30 is transmitted from theantenna 9 of the communication device 1 to the mobile phone 40 astransmission sound. The mobile phone 40 receives the sound signal withthe second antenna 43 and inputs the electric signal indicating thetransmission sound to the basic configuration 41 through the secondcommunication unit 42. The communication circuit 44 of the basicconfiguration 41 transmits the transmission sound as a transmissionsignal to a telephone device of the other party through the firstantenna 45. The transmission signal is received by the telephone deviceof the other party via the base station and the communication network.

The structure to output the sound generated in the speaker 11 from thecommunication device 1 is described below. The communication device 1 ofthis invention does not directly output the sound generated in thespeaker 11 but leads it to the external ear canal through a sound guidetube. This is described hereinafter in detail with reference to thedrawings.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sound guide tube 12 is housed in the sound guidehousing 3 a. The sound guide tube 12 is made of flexible material suchas 3 to 5 degree silicon rubber or elastomer resin. The sound guide tube12 has a cylindrical shape.

One end of the sound guide tube 12 is connected to the opening 11 a fromwhich the speaker 11 outputs sound. The other end of the sound guidetube 12 extends to the vicinity of the end part 3 b of the sound guidehousing 3 a. The sound guide tube 12 leads the sound generated by thespeaker 11 to the vicinity of the external canal 64 of a user. The soundguided by the sound guide tube 12 is released at the entrance of theexternal canal 64 into the external canal 64 from the opening of thesound guide housing 3 a, which is described later.

Even if the speaker 11 on the circuit substrate 6 of the main body 2 andthe external ear canal 64 of the user are spatially separated from eachother, it is possible to transmit the sound of the speaker 11 to theexternal ear canal 64 of the user through the sound guide tube 12.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the end part 3 b of the sound guide housing3 a protruding from the main body 2 has openings 211 and 212. Theopenings 211 and 212 respectively consists of a plurality of holes orthe like made in the sound guide housing 3 a and are formed in the endpart 3 b of the sound guide housing 3 a. As shown in FIG. 9A, theopening 211 has two openings 211 a and 211 b which are made in the leftand right side surfaces of the end part 3 b. As shown in FIG. 9B, theopening 212 has two openings 212 a and 212 b which are made in both leftand right sides of the front surface of the end part 3 b. Therefore,left or right whichever direction the sound guide tube 12 faces, it ispossible to output the sound from either left or right opening of theopenings 211 and 212 to the inside of the external ear canal 64.

As shown in FIG. 9A, a switch lever 13 for switching the facingdirection of the sound guide tube 12 between the openings 211 and 212 isformed to protrude from the sound guide housing 3 a. The switch lever 13is connected to the sound guide tube 12 inside the sound guide housing 3a so as to change the direction of the sound guide tube 12 with respectto the inside of the external ear canal 64. The switch lever 13 isrotatably placed in the sound guide housing 3 a. The switch lever 13 islocated in such a position that it does not touch the skin of the earwhen the communication device 1 is attached to the ear.

As shown in FIG. 10, if the switch lever 13 is turned to the directionA, the sound guide tube 12 faces toward the openings 211 b and 212 b inthe sound guide housing 3 a. On the contrary, if the switch lever 13 isturned to the direction B, the sound guide tube 12 faces toward theopenings 211 a and 212 a in the sound guide housing 3 a.

Generally, the relative positional relationship between the cavumconchae 61 and the external ear canal 64 are opposite in the human leftand right ears. The communication device 1 of this invention switchesthe direction of the switch lever 13, thereby allowing the sound guidetube 12 to face toward the direction of the external ear canal 64 whichis different between left and right. It is thereby possible to securelytransmit the sound to the inside of the external ear canal 64 regardlessof which ear.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the fixing part 22 may be placed to fixthe switch lever 13 so that the direction of the switch lever 13 doesnot change improperly. FIG. 11A is a sectional view from the side ofuser's head when the communication device 1 is attached to the user.FIG. 11B is a sectional view from the above. As shown in FIG. 11A, thefixing part 22 is a convex member formed on the bottom surface insidethe sound guide housing 3 a. For example, if the switch lever 13 isturned to the direction A shown in FIG. 10, the fixing part 22 pressesto fix the sound guide tube 12 from its right side so that the soundguide tube 12 does not move to the direction B. When the switch lever 13is switched, the sound guide tube 12 passes above the fixing part 22 incontact therewith. Then, the fixing part 22 fixes the sound guide tube12 from the opposite side, which is the left side of the sound guidetube 12.

The fixing part 22 may not fix the sound guide tube 12 itself but may beformed on the sound guide housing 3 a to fix the switch lever 13 andthereby fix the sound guide tube 12.

The way the communication device 1 having the above structure isattached to the ear is described below. First, if a user wears thecommunication device 1 at the left ear, the switch lever 13 is turned tothe position A of FIG. 10 so that the sound guide tube 12 faces upwardin FIG. 8. If the user wears the communication device 1 at the rightear, the switch lever 13 is turned to the position B of FIG. 10 so thatthe sound guide tube 12 faces downward in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 shows the state where the communication device is attached tothe user's ear. As shown in FIG. 12, in the use position with thecommunication device 12 being attached, the large diameter part 4 bhaving the bone conduction microphone 30 of the microphone housing 4 aand the end part 3 b having the openings 211 and 212 of the sound guidehousing 3 a are fitted into the cavum conchae 61 of the user's head. Thelarge diameter bottom surface 4 f is in contact with the under surface61 a of the cavum conchae 61. Oh the other hand, the end part 3 b of thesound guide housing 3 a is in contact with the upper surface 61 b of thecavum conchae 61.

When attached, the large diameter part 4 b of the microphone housing 4 aand the end part 3 b including the openings 211 and 212 of the soundguide housing 3 a are fitted and attached suitably to the space formedin the vicinity of the cavum conchae 61, tragus 62, antitragus 63, andthe opening of the external canal 64. Further, when the communicationdevice 1 is attached, the main body 2 is placed apart from the user'shead and the cavum conchae 61 and located on the external cheek surfaceby extending outward of the cavum conchae 61.

The holding part 5 holds the edge 65 of the cavum conchae 61 in thespace formed by the small diameter part bottom 4 g of the microphonehousing 4 a and the large diameter bottom surface 4 f of the largediameter part backside 4 e. The holding part 5 allows stable attachmentof the communication device 1 to the ear. Further, since the tragus 62and the antitragus 63 support the large diameter bottom surface 4 f, itis possible to stably attach the communication device 1.

The attachment of the communication device 1 only requires inserting thelarge diameter part 4 b and the end part 3 b of the sound guide housing3 a into the cavum conchae 61, which takes about 1 second or less.Further, the communication device 1 can be attached with one hand, thusallowing easy attachment.

The structural improvement in the communication device 1 of thisinvention to overcome the problem of electromagnetic wave is describedbelow.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the communication device 1 has a structurewhich places only the microphone part 4 and the openings 211 and 212 ofthe sound guide housing 3 a inside the cavum conchae 61 of a user andplaces the circuit substrate 6 having a transceiver/receiver circuit orthe like in the position apart from the cavum conchae 61 of the user'shead, which is the outer cheek surface of the cavum conchae 61.

Particularly, the antenna 9 which most generates electromagnetic wave islocated in the outer housing 2 a apart from the body in order toseparate it from the body (head) of the user as far as possible.Further, the antenna 9 is placed on the surface of the circuit substrate6 which is apart from the user's head. It is also possible to place theantenna 9 above the outer housing 2 a. This arrangement reduces theeffect of electromagnetic wave on the user.

Further, placing the antenna 9 in the outer housing 2 a eliminates therestriction of the shape and size, thus significantly increasing designfreedom.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in the communication device switches suchas the communication switch 10, the volume switch 10 a, and the powerswitch 10 b are placed in the vicinity of the outer edge of the cavumconchae 61 held by the holding part 5, which is located in therelatively upper part when attached to the user since those switchesprovide low frequencies, thereby stabilizing the operation andattachment.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the battery 8 is fixed to the circuitsubstrate 6 by the power supply terminals 14 a, 14 b, and so on andplaced between the outer housing 2 a of the main body 2 and the circuitsubstrate 6 at the lower part of the circuit substrate 6, which is atthe lower part of the main body 2. This structure further lowers thecenter of gravity of the communication device 1. Specifically, thecenter of gravity of the battery 8 is located lower than the attachmentbearing constituted of the small diameter base and the attachmentbearing member of the microphone housing 4 a and the large diameter partbackside of the microphone housing 4 a in the attachment position.

As shown in FIG. 13, the battery 8 may be placed in the user's headside. Since the battery 8 is located between the antenna 9 and theuser's head in this structure, the electromagnetic wave generated in theantenna 9 is attenuated by the battery 8 to reduce the amount whichreaches the user's head.

The transmitting and receiving operation of the communication device 1and the mobile phone 40 of the present invention is describedhereinafter.

The receiving operation is described first.

When the mobile phone 40 receives a phone call from the outside, themobile phone 40 first receives a call signal. Specifically, the mobilephone 40 receives an electric wave signal containing a call signaltransmitted from the base station with the first antenna 45 of the basicconfiguration 41. Then, the mobile phone 40 converts it into an electricsignal containing the call signal in the first antenna 45 and transmitsit to the transceiver/receiver circuit of the communication circuit 44to perform receiving operation in the transceiver/receiver circuit.

Further, the transceiver/receiver circuit of the communication circuit44 transmits the call signal to the antenna 9 of the communicationdevice 1 through the second communication unit 42 and the second antenna43. If the communication device 1 is previously set to a communicationenable state, the communication device 1 receives the electric wavesignal containing the call signal transmitted from the second antenna 43of the mobile phone 40. The communication device 1 converts the receivedelectric wave signal into an electric signal containing the call signalin the antenna 9 and inputs it to the transceiver/receiver circuit 23 a.

The transceiver/receiver circuit 23 a detects the call signal and thespeaker 11 sounds a ringtone to a user. The user hears the ringtone andrecognizes the call. If the user desires to talk, he/she inserts thecommunication device 1 into the cavum conchae 61 and turns on thecommunication switch 10. The transceiver/receiver circuit 23 a of thecommunication device 1 and the transceiver/receiver circuit of thecommunication circuit 44 of the mobile phone 40 thereby operate toestablish a communication line with the other party to enablecommunication.

If the communication line with the other party is established, the soundsignal transmitted from the other party passes through the same path asthe call signal described above and is output from the speaker 11 of thecommunication device 1. The sound signal received via the base station,public line and so on are transmitted to the communication device 1through the first antenna 45, the communication circuit 44, the secondcommunication unit 42, and the second antenna 43.

In the communication device 1, the sound signal transmitted from themobile phone 40 is received by the transceiver/receiver circuit 23 athrough the antenna 9, converted from electricity to sound in thespeaker 11, and output from the speaker 11 as sound. The output soundthen passes through the sound guide tube 12 and output to the externalcanal 64 of the user from the openings 211 and 212 of the sound guidehousing 3 a for the user to hear.

On the other hand, the voice of the user is detected by the boneconduction microphone in the microphone housing 4 a attached to thecavum conchae 61. Since the cavum conchae 61 and the microphone housing4 a are in contact with each other when the communication device 1 isattached to the ear, if the user produces sound for talk, the vibrationin the vocal cord accompanying the sound production is transmittedthrough the throat and head to reach the cavum conchae 61.

The vibration which has reached the cavum conchae 61 is transmitted tothe built-in bone conduction microhone 30 through the rotatablemicrophone housing 4 a shown in FIG. 5. When the vibration istransmitted from the microphone housing 4 a to the bone conductionmicrophone 30, the entire bone conduction microphone 30 vibrates. At thesame time, the piezoelectric element 32 in the shield case 31 alsovibrates and generates an electric signal corresponding to the vibrationat the electrodes 32 a and 32 b. It then transmits the signalcorresponding to the vibration to the field-effect transistor 34 throughthe connected signal line 33 or the like.

The field-effect transistor 34 receives the signal corresponding to thevibration, performs a given conversion process, and transmits it as adetected sound signal to the microphone input terminal 24 shown in FIG.1 through the signal terminal 35 a or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the signal circuit 23 of the communication device 1transmits the input signal to the microphone input terminal 24 throughthe antenna 9 to the second antenna 43 of the mobile phone 40. Theelectric wave signal received by the antenna 43 is then transmitted tothe mobile phone 40 through the second communication unit 42. The mobilephone 40 receives the sound signal from the communication device 1 andtransmits it through the first antenna 45 to a telephone or the like ofthe other party via the base station or the like. The communication isthereby established.

The transmitting operation is described now.

When making a call to the outside using a telephone system having thecommunication device 1 of this invention shown in FIG. 1, a user callsfor the other communication party using the basic function of the mobilephone 40 and talks using the communication device 1. The communicationmethod is detailed below.

The communication device 1 of the embodiment of this invention is asmall cordless unit having the functions of a handset and it has no dialfunction. Thus, the mobile phone 40 is used to make a call.

When making a call, the communication device 1 is attached to the cavumconchae 61, and the numeric keypad 49, which is the basic function ofthe mobile phone 40, is used to call the other party. The beep or thelike is transmitted through the second communication unit 42 and thesecond antenna 43 of the mobile phone 40, then through the antenna 9 andthe signal circuit 23 of the communication device 1, and converted fromelectricity to sound by the speaker 11. It is then transmitted throughthe sound guide tube 12 and output from the openings 211 and 212 of thesound guide housing 3 a to the opening of the external canal 64 of theuser. Since the user can hear the sound output from the openings 211 and212, he/she can start talking immediately when the other party answersthe phone or the like.

When making a call, the components of the device operate in the same wayas when receiving the call, and a detailed description is thus omitted.

Though the user attaches the communication device 1 to the cavum conchae61 before dialing in the above example, the user may attach it afterdialing. However, if the attachment delays, a time to start talkingdelays accordingly, which brings discomfort to the other party.

As described in the foregoing, in the communication device 1 of theembodiment of this invention, the speaker 11 is placed in the main body2 and the speaker 11 and the microphone part 4 are not close to eachother. Since the speaker 11 and the microphone part 4 are separated, itis possible to reliably prevent microvibration generated by the soundoutput of the speaker 11 from being transmitted to the microphone part4.

Further, the sound guide housing 3 a protruding from the main body 2 hasthe sound guide tube 12 which serves as a guiding path of the soundoutput from the speaker 11. It is thereby possible to reliably transmitthe sound output from the speaker 11 into the external canal 64 even ifthe speaker 11 of the main body 2 and the external canal 64 areseparated form each other.

Furthermore, the sound guide tube 12 has the switch lever 13 forswitching its direction. It is thereby possible to easily switch thedirection of the sound guiding path in accordance with the left andright ears. In addition, the fixing part 22 for fixing the sound guidetube 12 is placed. It is thereby possible to prevent the sound guidetube 12 from moving after switching the switch lever 13, thus surelypreventing a change in the direction of the guiding path.

The communication device 1 can be easily attached upon usage simply byinserting the large diameter part 4 b of the microphone housing 4 a andthe end part 3 b of the sound guide housing 3 a into the cavum conchae61. The attaching time is thereby reduced greatly to allow a user tostart talking smoothly when receiving a call.

Though the communication device 1 of this embodiment is configured towirelessly communicate with the mobile phone 40, it can communicate withthe mobile phone 40 through a signal line. In this case also, by placingthe speaker 11 in the main body 2 and arranging the speaker 11 and themicrophone part 4 apart from each other, it is possible to reliablyprevent microvibration generated by the speaker 11 from beingtransmitted to the microphone part 4.

The effect of the electromagnetic wave in the communication device 1during communication using the communication device 1 of the inventionis described hereinafter.

During the operation of the communication device 1 of the invention,electric wave is emitted from the antenna 9 of the communication device1. At this time, in the communication device 1 of the invention, theparts to be attached to the cavum conchae 61 of the user's head duringusage are the large diameter part 4 b at the end of the microphonehousing 4 a and the part in the vicinity of the openings 211 and 212 ofthe sound guide housing 3 a.

The antenna 9 is placed in the position of the communication device 1farthest from the head. It is placed in the outer housing 2 a, which isthe position of the main body 2 apart from the head.

Further, in the structure as shown in FIG. 13, the battery 8 is placedbetween the antenna 9 and the head, and the electric wave emitted fromthe antenna 9 to the direction of the head hits against the case of thebattery 8 made of conductive material and is released again into thespace through the case.

Since the transmission path of the electric wave is shortest, theelectric wave is largely released from the side surface or the like ofthe battery, and the energy from the antenna 9 which penetrates throughthe battery 8 and further through the head is reduced. By using thisstructure for the communication device 1, it is possible to reduce theeffect of the electromagnetic wave on the head.

As described in the foregoing, the communication device 1 of the presentinvention can be attached easily and stably upon usage simply by thesimple process of inserting the large diameter part 4 b of themicrophone housing 4 a and the end part 3 b of the sound guide housing 3a into the cavum conchae 61. The time required for the process issignificantly shorter compared to conventional techniques, and it ispossible to attach the communication device 1 of the invention and starttalking smoothly when receiving a call.

Further, the effect of electromagnetic wave on the head can be reducedduring use by placing the antenna suitably.

Use of the communication device 1 of this structure provides users withadvantages such as easy attachment, handsfree functions and smoothcommunication by attaching it after receiving a call. It also providesusers with an advantage of reduction in electromagnetic wave duringcall.

The present invention can provide an earset communication device whichreliably prevents vibration from being transmitted to the microphonepart.

Further, the present invention can provide an earset communicationdevice which reduces the effect of electromagnetic wave.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The earset communication device of the present invention may be used incombination with a mobile phone as a sound input/output unit of themobile phone, for example.

1. An earset communication device attached to a human ear, comprising: a main body having a sound output unit outputting sound inside; a sound guide part protruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear, and guiding the sound output from the sound output unit to the cavum conchae; and a microphone part protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith, and having a bone conduction sound detection unit detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavum conchae.
 2. The earset communication device of claim 1 wherein the microphone part protrudes from the main body in continuously to the sound guide part in a fork shape.
 3. The earset communication device of claim 1, wherein the sound guide part has a sound guide tube guiding the sound output from the sound output unit to the cavum conchae.
 4. The earset communication device of claim 3, wherein the sound guide part has a switch unit switching a direction of a guiding path through which the sound guide tube guides the sound.
 5. The earset communication device of claim 4, wherein the sound guide part has a fixing unit fixing a direction of the guiding path.
 6. The earset communication device of claim 1, wherein the microphone part is rotatably connected to the main part.
 7. The earset communication device of claim 1, wherein the sound output unit is fixed to a substrate where an electronic component is mounted.
 8. The earset communication device of claim 7, wherein a battery is mounted to the substrate.
 9. The earset communication device of one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the main body has a communication circuit and an antenna for radio communication with a separated base unit.
 10. An earset communication device attached to a human ear, comprising: a main body; an earphone part protruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear, and outputting sound to the cavum conchae; and a microphone part protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith, and having a bone conduction sound detection unit detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavum conchae, wherein the microphone part is rotatably connected to the main body.
 11. The earset communication device of claim 10, wherein the microphone part protrudes from the main body in continuously to the earphone part in a fork shape.
 12. The earset communication device of claim 10, further comprising a stopper restricting rotation of the microphone part.
 13. An earset communication device attached to a human ear, comprising: a main body having an electronic circuit substrate for radio communication; an earphone part protruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear, and outputting sound to the cavum conchae; and a microphone part protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith, and detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavum conchae.
 14. The earset communication device of claim 13, wherein the main body further comprises a battery supplying power to the electronic circuit substrate, and the battery is placed between the electronic circuit substrate and a head of a user in a state where the communication device is attached to the user.
 15. The earset communication device of claim 13, wherein the main body further comprises a speaker, and the speaker is fixed to the electronic circuit substrate through attenuating material.
 16. An earset communication device attached to a human ear, comprising: a main body having an antenna for radio communication; an earphone part protruding from the main body, attached to a cavum conchae of the ear, and outputting sound to the cavum conchae; and a microphone part protruding from the main body, inserted into the cavum conchae in contact therewith, and detecting bone conduction sound transmitted to the cavum conchae.
 17. The earset communication device of claim 16, wherein the main body comprises a housing, and the antenna is placed in the housing located apart from a head of a user in a state where the communication device is attached to the user.
 18. The earset communication device of claim 16, wherein the main body further comprises a battery, and the battery is placed between the antenna and a head of a user in a state where the communication device is attached to the user.
 19. The earset communication device of one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the battery is housed in a lower part of the main body in a state where the communication device is attached to a user. 